April 8 deadline

[Digger12]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp;jsessionid=JACJIMPKKCIA?content=20050324_153147_5348

So, the NHLPA has until April 8 to submit a counteroffer or negotiate off the current playing field, or the NHL will pull one of their two offers off the table. Let the gamesmanship begin.

Click to read more...

 

[ResidentAlien*]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp;jsessionid=JACJIMPKKCIA?content=20050324_153147_5348

So, the NHLPA has until April 8 to submit a counteroffer or negotiate off the current playing field, or the NHL will pull one of their two offers off the table. Let the gamesmanship begin.

In light of the date....bump
Has there been an official statement suggesting that they have negotiated off the table? We know they rejected both offers and did not have a counter....or did they
12 days to the 20th

 

[McDonald19]

I think today will be an interesting day...one way or the other...

 

[Levitate]

dunno, does what they did on monday count? they talked about ideas and presented some things...i'd call that negotiating

 

[RangerBoy]

Didn't the NHLPA already reject both NHL offers on Monday?

 

[free0717]

NHLPA wake up and smell the coffee!!!

The longer Goodenow procrastinates, the worse deal the players are going to get. Goodenow has no sense of urgency, he is not losing paychecks.

 

[Taranis_24]

The longer Goodenow procrastinates, the worse deal the players are going to get. Goodenow has no sense of urgency, he is not losing paychecks.

I'm not a PA backer in fact just the opposite, but you do know that Goodenow is not taking his salary during this lockout right? So in a way he is losing paychecks.

 

[tom_servo]

I'm not a PA backer in fact just the opposite, but you do know that Goodenow is not taking his salary during this lockout right?

Uh, I think it's obvious that he didn't know that.

 

[Isles72]

Didn't the NHLPA already reject both NHL offers on Monday?

yessir .

 

[SENSible1*]

yessir .

But all indications are that instead of offering a counter-proposal the PA, for the first time, decided to negotiate within a workable framework.

 

[RangerBoy]

Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow met yesterday

An informal meeting
April 8 @ 8:47 AM
With talks of radical rule changes dominating the attention of hockey scribes, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow had an informal meeting Thursday for about three hours, Sportsnet has learned. It's believed more official talks between the two sides will be scheduled for next week.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hearsay.jsp

 

[Egil]

I think they are talking. Its no coincidence that since the Monday meeting that Players were invited to the GM meeting, and that secret goalie meeting was set up.

If the PA had ANY sort of plan of forming a new league, or aranging its own games in the fall, then players (and even Goodenow himself). would NOT be at these meetings, as it only serves to give legitimiacy to the NHL.

A solution is at hand, its only a matter of weeks to get the deal in place, I think.

 

[Enoch]

This whole process is stupid. Meet one week - have no progress, yet manage to say "we need internal meetings........next month" Meet the week after the meetings, and decide that next week you may have another meeting to discuss the issues.

Ridiculous...

 

[SENSible1*]

This whole process is stupid. Meet one week - have no progress, yet manage to say "we need internal meetings........next month" Meet the week after the meetings, and decide that next week you may have another meeting to discuss the issues.

Ridiculous...

Until recently your post was an accurate assessment of these "negotiations". Right now, I think you need to read between the lines.

Egil is right. Something is going on.

I'd be shocked if we don't have a deal by April 20th.

 

[SENSible1*]

I think they are talking. Its no coincidence that since the Monday meeting that Players were invited to the GM meeting, and that secret goalie meeting was set up.

If the PA had ANY sort of plan of forming a new league, or aranging its own games in the fall, then players (and even Goodenow himself). would NOT be at these meetings, as it only serves to give legitimiacy to the NHL.

A solution is at hand, its only a matter of weeks to get the deal in place, I think.

I agree, but I must confess to a nagging worry that the PA is doing all of this to make impasse harder to reach. Call it 95% confidence of the PA's change of heart and 5% worry that it's just posturing.

 

[labatt50]

[QUOTE=Egil]I think they are talking. Its no coincidence that since the Monday meeting that Players were invited to the GM meeting, and that secret goalie meeting was set up.

If the PA had ANY sort of plan of forming a new league, or aranging its own games in the fall, then players (and even Goodenow himself). would NOT be at these meetings, as it only serves to give legitimiacy to the NHL.

A solution is at hand, its only a matter of weeks to get the deal in place, I think.[/QUOTE]

You are right and I also think that if replacement players were a definite, the NHL would not have invited the PA to their meeting

 

[Digger12]

I'm probably being overly and stupidly optimistic here, but is anyone else getting the impression that both sides are starting to lose their stomach for this ugly fight? That the owners found after their 'homework' that replacement player hockey could be an unmitigated disaster, and the players after a full year salary and career gone have come to realize that no matter what damage they inflict on the owners, in the end it'll be the players now and in the future who will feel the pain?

Is it too much to hope that both sides WOKE UP?








Yeah, it problably is. I can't help but wait for the "We still have philosophical differences" card to be played soon.

 

[Drury_Sakic]

yeah... I agree...

I have that nagging fear of this just being a game by the PA..

I hope not...

But after the last year its hard not to...

I won't believe anything untill a deal is signed...

 

[Flukeshot]

This may be slightly unrelated, but does anyone else feel that Bettman has set deadlines in order to be in the position of power? Which is a good tactic of course in such as process. Perhaps Bettman learned from the blundering about that both sides did prior to a cancel-the-season deadline was stated.

There was a draft deadline, today is a linkage deadline and April 20th's BOG meeting, at least would appear to be, a replacement player vs PA members deadline.

I would have to agree that something is brewing and that today's Apr 8th deadline is void now from the developments of Monday. It really seems that Bettman has more control over the situation now and that the NHLPA recognizes that. Wherever you stand on the situation, if this is true it should mean we have an agreement sooner then much later.

 

[HF2002]

I'd be shocked if we don't have a deal by April 20th.

Is this the date for the board of governors meeting?

 

[CalgaryThrasher]

Gary and Bob met last night for 3 hours, probably discussing this so called deadline.

 

[Larionov]

Who says they met for three hours, Eklund? There's been no independent media confirmation of this.

An earlier post wondered if both sides were beginning to lose their stomach for the fight -- one would hope, but I still doubt it. That would be something akin to common sense, which hasn't existed in this fight.

Once the League called the 'PA's bluff back in February, common sense would have dictated that the 'PA simply fold their hand, get their guys back earning a cheque, and get on with life. But no, they insisted on losing the entire season. If the 'PA couldn't figure it out in February, what hope is there that they will figure it out by April? Close to zero unless there has been some kind of internal revolt, and that is unlikely as we would have heard about it by now.

I still believe we are heading towards impasse and replacement players. If not, and they do manage to cut a deal in the next 12 days, I'll be delighted to come on here and say I was wrong.

 

[Hab-a-maniac]

Various sources have all said that replacements are not a viable option because too many teams have just declined the idea outright. We're gonna have a season with normal players or no season at all. Either way, if an agreement is reached it needs to be in May sometime so they can organize the complex web of changes initiated by a new CBA while a free agent scramble is organized, new rules and changes to the game are implemented and a draft can be organized with a fair and balanced way to determine the rankings, you know one that doesn't reward one-year wretchedness such as that of the Rangers-who were in playoff races in each of the previous 3 years-and Capitals who already got Ovechkin. My idea for the draft is to take the past 3-4 seasons which would put Florida, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Chicago and Atlanta in the running of the top 5 I believe.

 

[futurcorerock]

Who says they met for three hours, Eklund? There's been no independent media confirmation of this.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hearsay.jsp

 

[kerrly]

This may be slightly unrelated, but does anyone else feel that Bettman has set deadlines in order to be in the position of power? Which is a good tactic of course in such as process. Perhaps Bettman learned from the blundering about that both sides did prior to a cancel-the-season deadline was stated.

There was a draft deadline, today is a linkage deadline and April 20th's BOG meeting, at least would appear to be, a replacement player vs PA members deadline.

I would have to agree that something is brewing and that today's Apr 8th deadline is void now from the developments of Monday. It really seems that Bettman has more control over the situation now and that the NHLPA recognizes that. Wherever you stand on the situation, if this is true it should mean we have an agreement sooner then much later.

How else do you get a known deadline hunter to really negotiate? If there weren't these deadlines right now, why does anyone have to put forth their best offers? There are no reasons and a good chance that a negotiated settlement would only start to see the light before the season started, if replacements are a go, and februaury if the NHL chose to go with another cancelled season. I think it's very smart for Bettman to do this as it will help move negotiations along in a time frame where normally it would be quiet.